


A little Slice Of Imperfection ( Is Perfect)

by ShittakeRamen12



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bad actions do not get awarded, Because he doesn't deserve her, EvilHunting or HuntingQueen, F/M, Gen, Graham gets his women and sets his foot down, I Will Go Down With This Ship, If those aren't pairing names they are now, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherly Granny, Rumplestilskin learns nothing apprently, Sister's from other mister's Ruby/Regina, Trying to change for the better and meaning it does, anti-rumbelle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-17 10:09:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8140156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShittakeRamen12/pseuds/ShittakeRamen12
Summary: In which Regina is less lonely and Henry is her second child. Emma Swan stay's because well she has to make sure Henry’s okay and that Regina’s not a bad mother. Lord knows Emma knows how that feels. Mostly fraught with the anger and misunderstanding we love so much of season one. Then it diverges after that.
P.S. Henry isn’t in therapy and Regina’s burning hatred of Snow White has fizzled into cold indifference. I mean really staying mad or holding a grudge for twenty-eight years takes too much energy.  Other than that most everything follows canon.





	1. Arrival of Miss Swan

Regina finished the last touches on her make-up hiding all the hurt and desperation behind the familiar makes of perfection and cool detachment. Emma Swan had come in like a wind with her tacky red leather jacket and her bright yellow bug all primed and ready to rescue Henry. It offends her more than angers her that the blonde women thought her capable of hurting her son. She’d only been in town two days now and Henry had spent every chance he could with her. Regina wasn’t stupid she knew her son better than he thought and while they were going through a rough patch and she was honest enough to admit (to herself anyway) she could have done a better job parenting at times. That however changed nothing she did really love him. Her daughter was quite on the issue ever the objective observer.

With everything slowly crumpling around her Regina was grateful for someone to remind her of the existence of logic and common sense. Those two things tended to take a vacation as far as Miss Swan was concerned. Her daughter was no secret per say the town’s people knew her well since she's involved in a lot of volunteer work about the town. Pre-curse Regina had kept her precious little girl to her castle for fear of the enemy’s she had. Even the Dark one had no knowledge of her child the man believing it wasn’t possible due to the potion gifted to her by her mother. Things like that never stopped Regina though when her heart was set on something. Loopholes were a godsend really.

Through a ritual similar to getting a surrogate in the new realm they lived in she was able to transfer her essence in a manner of speaking into another woman. Finding a willing man wasn’t too hard she just went to a far part of the forest where no one knew her or her reputation and said man wouldn’t try to claim _her_ baby. Regina promised herself if this ritual worked she would try and be a better mother than Cora was and possible put killing Snow on the back burner. However, life has never been easy for Regina so even though she got her healthy baby girl in turn Rumple set events into motion that made her cast the curse anyways. The old imp thought she was motivated by revenge but she had done it out of love for her daughter whom was only three months old at the time.

A bit of magical tweaking made it so her baby never aged passed sixteen. She decided she wanted another child several years after she cast the curse Rayla was ten at the time and a little wary Regina would love her less with this new baby in the picture. Regina reassured her daughter she meant the world to her and this new little baby would be family so it meant more people to love. Years later she had made some unwise choices concerning Henry, trying so hard to make up for the fact she only knew how to raise a girl(barley). He took the news of his adoption hard and that in turn brought her thought back to her current enemy Emma Swan.

Rayla was very much her mother’s daughter from her olive skinned complexion to her dry humor and sarcasm. The power of magic thrummed within her and she was taught lessons most of the week. One of the last few things only she and her mum did without Henry. Her hair however was another mattered all together it was thick curly and a lot to take care of. It was the proof that she was mixed. Rayla was super grateful for the magical hair charms she could utilize. She and Henry did love each other but their relationship was strained at best due to several factors.

 First Regina love hard, fierce, and passionate so both her children were more soiled then they had any right to be. Regina kept it within reason of course, she didn’t want them to be little Snow White’s after all. Secondly Rayla knew from what little her mother would tell her of her past they came from old money and her mum was raised with old values like boys were heirs and girls were married off to advance the family name and standing. So in that sense there were times Henry was more of a brat than he had any right to be and he got away with it where she would get grounded for at least a week.

 After his little adventure to find his birth mother the mood in the house had shifted and her mother had retreated into herself leaving Rayla alone. Miss Swan was an unknown aside from the fact that she was Henry’s birth mother and the blonde women had tried and failed to corner her for the last two days. Rayla couldn’t image the stories Henry was telling the women. Memories twisted to suit his need to express his hurt and anger at their mother for some imaged slight. Their mother was always open to them talking to her about anything but boys and girl handled their emotions differently.

 Rayla looks at the feast of her favorite dishes that are laid out on the table. Her mother's sitting across from her in the dinning room smiling an apologetic smile. Rayla raises a questioning eyebrow but started putting food on her plate anyway.

 “Dear I realize that I’ve been too caught up in trying to win your brother back and lost sight of myself for a second. I want you to know I’m sorry and as much as it pains me I will give your brother space to deal with his emotion’s and Miss Swan. When he’s ready to talk I will be here.” She says swirling her noodles in sauce.

 Rayla eats slowly with poise like her mother taught her. A feat Henry never managed to pick up and it was something watching him eat. She hums at the taste of good food; her mother never goes out of her way like this unless she has a surprise or something really important to say.

 “Rayla there is something I need to tell you before it gets let out or you hear a much twisted version from someone else.” Regina says her tone giving away her nervousness she only shows to her children.

 “Okay mom I’m ready to hear whatever you have to say.” Rayla replies pushing her plate away.

 “My not so little princess about what your bro-Henry has been saying I think it’s time you know the whole truth.” Regina says her tome serious and sober.

 The two ladies retired to her office where she keeps the book she took um... confiscated from Henry. It takes Regina three hours to tell her daughter everything. She holds nothing back wanting her to know about her grandfather, grandmother, Daniel, Snow. the King and their history. Rayla is pretty shocked because it’s a lot to take in. Her mother is ringing her hands nervously thinking that like Henry she would hate her for the terrible deeds she’s done.

 “Mom I red the book and it’s about a detailed and fair as the bible (que sarcasm that’s all Regina). You taught me better than that. I love you regardless of what you’ve done in the past, that will never change. Besides I really am your biological daughter I can’t go running off to biological M.I.A parent figures like Henry.” she says softly.

 Regina beams sniffling back unshed tears at her sweet daughter whose becoming her own women chuckling at her dry sense of humor. No matter what may be going on with Miss Swan and the increased chance the curse would break she still has her daughter and no one could take that away from her.

 “Mom on a side note though I think you should give da-Sheriff Graham his heart back.” Rayla suggests.

 Regina pulls out of the hug to look at her daughter searching her light brown eye’s.

 “It’s just I read somewhere that the best revenge is living well, Rayla says leaning on her mother, I think it will take the wind out of peoples sails if they see you don’t have any interest it killing them anymore. Not that you did in the beginning, they just got caught up in a battle you wanted to keep between you and Snow White.”

 Regina smiles at _her_ daughter whom she loved so much it hurt. In that moment the former queen knew that this was most definitely her child. If there was one thing Snow had hated back when Regina had been married to her father it was her detached way of ignoring the little princess. Regina made a point of letting her daughter know she never wanted to be a villain or a Queen, life and the choices she’d made created that version of her.

 “Now that you know the true I think it’s time I teach you some real magic.” Regina says grinning.

In was high time the Queen passed on her magical knowledge to her heir and even though it was all theory without magic in Storybrooke Regina wanted her daughter to be prepared.


	2. Nervous Emma Whole Graham

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma's on edge, Graham is looking a 100%, and Rumple gets impatient. Nothing seems right and Emma really just want to rest for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I will be updating my other stories soon and I really shouldn't be starting this one but you know the plot bunnies have something of mine and I really want it back so I'm being good and following order's.

A week. Seven days. One hundred and sixty-eight hours. Ten thousand and eighty minutes…

Well you get the idea. Emma Swan newly appointed deputy and week-long resident of Storybrooke was on edge. Regina hadn’t made any moves to frame, murder, or anything else nasty to her person in a whole week. The women hadn’t even gone out of her way to track Henry down. Graham had been acting strange for a few days there before he came back almost a new man. He _claimed_ he’d been sick and thanked Emma for covering for him and apologized for the abrupt kiss. Emma’s super power was off had been since she crossed over into the small town but her gut told her something more was going on.

She was still having a hard time believing that the whole town was filled with curse fairytale character’s and that she was the savior. Henry seemed hell bent on trying to get her to see otherwise. If she was honest with herself, she would admit he was wearing her down. The kid had already dragged Mary-Margret and David Nolan into his plans. It didn’t change the fact that Emma was on edge about the mayor. Graham looked over from where he was doing paperwork to get Leroy out of the drunk tank.

“Emma there’s really no need to be worried. I know the mayor a bit and I can honestly say what she was doing before wasn’t normal behavior for her. She probably felt threatened. I bet now she’s realizing how intense she was being and has decided to take some time to cool down and pull herself together. Catching up and spending time with our(cough) um..her daughter.” He says trying to calm Emma down.

Emma purses her lips in suspicion her gut twisting uncomfortably. She’d asked around about this mysterious daughter and most of the towns people had nothing but nice things to say about her. A far cry from what they said about her mother. Emma had tried asking Henry but he was tight lipped sure she was the Evil Queen’s heir to her evilness and Emma’s second enemy because villainy is a family business apparently. The blonde wanted to write it off as sibling rivalry but her time in the foster system made her wary of siblings in general especially since she had not had a chance to meet her like she did Regina. Her fears of her past clouded her judgment a little as she thought of what Henry had told her. Making his adopted family out to be emotional abusers and horrible people.

Maybe he was making it up, maybe he wasn’t. Until she was sure she would count her lucky stars that Regina was letting him stay with her and Mary-Margret for the time being. Graham shook his head as he watched Emma in deep thought. He has known Regina a long time and they worked close under the curse. The former queen did have lines and morals (though they were questionable) she would not cross. Even after she had taken his heart she never once forced herself upon him. She didn’t need to; Graham had come to her willingly aside from her having his heart. They were kindred spirits with similar pasts of people using and abusing their trust. In all his time under her service there was never a job he wouldn’t do till the Snow White thing that caused their fallout. But that’s a story for another time.

He was…or still is the Huntsman. He won’t lie to himself and act like he was without sin before Regina. He was a tortured soul long before she drew him into her circle and allowed him to feel again, even if it was negative it was something. He been there for the birth of her daughter and had fallen in love with the delicate bundle the queen had held close and openly cried over in front of him. He had been there for her first steps, her first ballet recital and so much more. He is still a huge part of Rayla’s life. She was every bit his daughter as she is Regina’s and with his heart and memories back he was willing to ignore his anger at Regina to plan how they’d manage the fall out when the curse broke for Rayla’s sake. Not if…. _When_.

Mr. Gold **a.k.a** Rumpelstiltskin frowned as he looked at the moving clock in the center of town. Emma Swan had been in Storybooke for a week and the curse had yet to break. He needed the blonde women to hurry up. He had Belle to find, magic to bring back fully to Storybrooke, and find a way to cross over the town line without losing his memories so he could track down Baelfire. It looked like the cursed persona of Mr. Gold would have to lay dormant for a while. Rumpelstiltskin had work to do to push the breaking of the curse along. He needed something that would point to Regina and he wasn’t above framing his ex-apprentice. That evening while he was polishing silverware in his shop it hit him hard. An apple turn over would do the trick.

 It looked like it was time to call in a favor from the Mad Hatter. Mr. Gold giggled darkly his plans would still be set in motion. Across town in a mansion in a hall a lone figure sneezed and shiver as if a feeling of pure dread swept through him.

"Something wicked this way comes." whispered the Mad Hatter into the dark silence of his empty mansion.

In the Mills family crypt Regina watched as her daughter brimmed with excitement at all her ancient tombs and magical texts. Rayla was determined to push her mother through an advance course of the grief stages concerning Henry. She loved her brother but the boy was a spoil brat and was in need of a harsh reality check by someone. Her mother on the other hand need to let Henry go so he could stop getting some weird kick on having such a hold over her. Plus it was really affecting her magic theory lessons when her mother burst into random bout's of tears. They were already way past denial as Regina was very much aware Henry was far from her grasp. Anger had shown it ugly head right after Swan showed up and it was just crazy the way her mom had acted.

It had been nearly a week since she saw her brother and in a few hours she be having dinner with her parents (Graham and Regina) at home. They were in the scary stage of bargaining where Regina's whole mindset was 'if I give Henry space and time with Emma he'll came back' which was totally one-sided. Henry didn't seem concerned with calling, texting, or coming by to see the people that had been his family for the past ten years. Rayla was grateful she had Graham on her side to help out. He was one of the few people that didn't mind letting her mom know what he thought. He had vip status since he'd been the only father figure the two kids had ever known. Regina wasn't one for sharing so few people had been allowed to get close to them growing up.

Regina sniffed trying to hide another round of tears hoping that her daughter was to engrossed in a thick tomb on Elven magic to notice. She was prepared to blame her tears on the dust but they both knew she kept the crypt immaculate. She knew she missed Henry and that she was a weird mixture of depressed and willing to cut deals if only he would talk to her. Honestly between Graham and her daughter she never had to much time to really dwell on the 'Henry situation' the two kept her busy with frivolous things between her mayoral duties.

It wasn't much but when she sat down to diner that evening seated next to a casually dress Graham and a modestly dressed (for Ruby anyway) Ruby with Granny at the head of the table she felt at home in the chaos that was their daily Friday get together's. Lacey had invited herself over after overhearing Graham and Ruby talking about it and her drinking mate/bro Will tagged along. Making the totally people in her house seven which was twice the number of people it usually had. Granny had come earlier to help Regina prepared the food and the guestrooms she knew would be used. When the three amigo's (Ruby, Lacey, and Will) got together heavy drinking was done and as the mayor Regina in good conscious could not let them drive or roam the streets drunk. It had been this was since shortly after the curse that they began the tradition. She's been a new mom then and in need of help. The rest as they say is history.

In moments like this surround by people she dare say were like family she couldn't find it in herself to regret her choices up to this point. Family was all she had ever wanted for her daughter and herself. That's what they had here with Granny whom mothered her whether she wanted it or not and the three amigo's who were like wayward younger siblings that Regina had to look out for. Her one fear was that she'd loss this like she had Henry. Graham placed a comforting hand on her knee under the table.

"Bread roll?" he asks taking her out of her dark thoughts and bringing her back into the moment.

Ruby is getting smacked in the head by Granny for encouraging Lacey to tell a dirty joke as Will laughs and her daughter blushes an adorable side of pink. This moment means the world to Regina and without realizing it she closes the door on the final stage of grief _acceptance_. Henry made his chose and as long as he is happy she could live with it. She may have lost Henry but she gained this family of misfits and Graham.

"Yes I think I will have a bread roll." she says beaming full on at Graham stealing his breath away as it lights up her face and makes her look years younger.

Granny smirks behind her glass of beer. These people gathered here are _her_ children _her_ pack and she be damned if she lets anyone take that away from these kids who've been through so much.

Rumplestilskin may be the Dark One but hell have no fury like an old wolf scorned.

 

 


	3. Operation Cobra and a mad Granny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumplestiltskin is using children to get what he wants as always. The Mad Hatter may hate Regina in his own way but she'd never used his daughter against him. He respected her grudgingly for that and now that he knew who was really behind the Dark curse he had renewed purpose. Henry over hears a conversation that gives him hope and he precedes to plan Operation Cobra. Granny is not happy about the tomfoolery going on in her dinner and she is going to let people know about it.

Three weeks later....

It was already two weeks longer than Emma intended to stay but she couldn't seem to leave. Not now, especially since she came to town and sort of messed everything up. She managed to corner Regina and talk to her about the story book, Henry, and where she'd been for the last two weeks. Regina was as you can image every bit as difficult as Emma had come to expect of her, answering her first two inquiries and telling the younger women the last bit was none of her business. She'd asked about Henry once and excepts Emma's short curt answer of "He's doing okay" before going on her way. The silver lining in all this madness was her somewhat friendship with Ruby and her friend Lacey. It was nice to have someone other than Mary-Margret to talk to. Graham preferred to keep their relationship professional, though he was nothing, if not a gentleman to Emma. Which was a nice break from the scumbags she'd tracked down/dated for work before coming to Storybrooke.

Munching on her grilled cheese sandwich deep in though she missed the entrance of Mr. Gold as he slids into the booth opposite her.

"Good afternoon Miss Swan lovely weather we're having." he says making small talk.

Ruby is filling the salt and pepper shakers pretending not to glare at the back of his head while Granny has put Will on the grill so she could keep an eye on the small town  wanna-be criminal-mobster in his ill-fitting suit. Emma swallows her chunk of sandwich hard hurting her throat gulping down her ice tea to wash it down. The man has made her uneasy since the moment they meet at Granny's Inn.

"I realized that I haven't properly welcomed you to our humble town and you've been here for nearly a month. I must apologize for such an oversight. Here, he says pushing over the tuber ware container, I used an old recipe of the mayor's for some delicious apple turn over's please take them as a welcome to Storybrooke/Congratulations on making deputy gift. "

Emma seems hesitate though she won't say no to food and the man wouldn't poison her in front of witnesses would he? Popping the container open she smells the mouth watering scent of apples and cinnamon. Closing the container deeming them okay she looks up to thank Gold only to find he has long since left her to her lunch break. The apple turn overs are put in her bag for later Emma wanting to share the snack with Henry after he gets out of school. Granny's face is hard as she pays her bill her lips pursed thin.

"Keep your wits about you child around that one. He's a slippery snake." the old women cautions.

Emma puts on a face of false bravado that she knows Granny see's through but doesn't call her on it.

"Don't worry Granny I'm a big girl from the crazy streets of New York, I think I can handle one small town guy." she replies over her shoulder as she leaves to resume her patrol.

Granny shakes her head helping her granddaughter wipe down the tables and clean the booths for the diner rush in a few hours. Ruby eye's her with worry but the elder of the two gives her a reassuring pat on her arm. Her old bones tell her something big is coming and her dreams at night whisper an old lullaby of a past life lived.

Will was hard at work prepping for the diner rush when Granny pushed him out the kitchen to help Ruby clean dishes and close the diner so they could switch  the menu's from breakfast/lunch to dinner. Granny frowns into the heat of the kitchen her gut was telling her something was going on and it was rarely wrong. The only problem she could see was the answer to questions she didn't even no where to began to ask and what to ask about. It seemed time to pay the mayor a visit. The women might be a good start to finding out what was really going on.

Henry walked to the Sheriff's' station where he texted Emma that he'd meet her so she could walk home with him and maybe fit in dinner at Granny's. A buzz of his cell confirming that she was indeed going to meet him at Granny's due to her running late. In a rare moment of silence Henry feels apologetic about his mom and sister who he in a small part misses. He shakes himself off reminding himself mentally what was at stake and that the Evil Queen deserved to be miserable. His sister would come to understand in time that what he was doing was saving the town from their mother. He already had a plan forming in his head for how to get the curse to break.

Emma rolled in covers in dust managing to give Henry a small tires smile.

"Hey kid."

Henry beamed.

"Hey Emma I have an idea for how to beak the curse. I think we should call it _Operation Cobra_."

Emma sat down at the bar with Henry as he went over his plan. She was still having trouble believing Henry but he was starting to warm her up to the notion that his crazy theory just might be true.

Regina pinched the brim of her nose her reading glasses sliding down at the motion. The town's paperwork had been a mess since the arrival of Swan and the main clock and town square started working. The budget for the sheriff's office had gone up due to the sudden employment of the blonde and the amount of complaints of privacy invasion had gone up as well. The brunette sighed into her quite office eyeing the paperwork like it killed her favorite horse. This would take much longer than she had anticipated it would. She'd have to tell her secretary to call Graham so he could pick up her daughter from school. The former queen missed her former days if only for the extra hands that use to wait on her every order. She be taking work home tonight.

It didn't surprise her that Miss Swan didn't know the meaning of boundaries. Being an ex-bounty hunter privacy wasn't something you gave to a person with a price on their head. Regina frowned it was only by the request of Graham that she was giving Swan a trial period for the next week. Graham would be held responsible for teaching the women some type of sense. Otherwise Regina would have what she needed to make sure the woman didn't work in her sheriff's office at least.

Rayla huddled near the car pick up line ignoring the whole exchange that happened between Swan and Henry. The blonde savior had tried to offer her a ride but she declined as politely as she could fighting the urge to punch Henry in the face just to wipe the glare he sent her way behind Swans back. The weather wasn't to bad that waiting for a ride would be a big deal.  The familiar sheriff's car rolled up smoothly with a smirking Graham behind the wheel.

"So I was thinking you and I couldn't go for a bit of hunting in the forest get in some bonding time, he says as she gets in the car, I know things have been crazy with everything going on but I want you to know that you can talk to me if you need to."

Rayla resisted the urge to roll her eye's at Graham.

"Hunting I am all for but you know Mills women don't do heart to hearts." She replies haughtily.

Graham shakes his head highly amused as he rolls out the school parking lot.

Jefferson glared at the note he pulled from his mail box hoping if he glared hard enough it would burn to ash. However life suck so the damn not stayed in one piece in front of him on his desk. It would appear that the 'Queen' wanted a temporary cease fire with potential to give him his daughter back. The former 'Mad Hatter' bit his lip deep in thought. This note along with all the crazy events happening seemed to good to be true and Jefferson was wary of the supposed 'savior'. After a shot or tow of Brandy Jefferson decides to give Regina a chance to speak her peace. He knows enough about her to know that he deserves worse than he ended up getting for betraying her trust to Rumpelstiltskin. He was rich in this realm and his daughter was well loved and taken care of. He could  begrudgingly respect her for that. The former Evil Queen did have morals they just happened to be questionable at best, however, Jefferson wasn't going to judge. He himself had done many evil deeds when he was working for the Dark One.

In the darkness of his home Jefferson smirked crazed and wide given merit to his moniker the 'Mad-Hatter'. Let Regina say her piece he had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

 

 

 

 


End file.
